200
More Japanese Idioms
in
Plain English
Clay & Yumi Boutwell
Published
by Kotoba Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Kotoba, Inc.
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Introduction
Once
one zooms beyond the basics of a language, idiomatic expressions,
proverbs, and slang can provide the spice to keep motivation up and
progress going forward. This ebook will introduce 200 of the most
common Japanese idioms.
We are including at no extra charge
MP3s for all the examples found in this ebook. Create play-lists to
study on the go or burn the sound files to a CD to listen at home.
The download link is found on the last page.
Tap
here to zoom there. The MP3s are
all recorded by native voice actors and actresses.
Although
not necessary, we highly recommend knowing hiragana before tackling
this ebook. Even though romaji is found throughout, learning
somewhat advanced Japanese (as found here) but not being able to read
kana can put you at a disadvantage later. If you do not yet know
hiragana, please check out our Hiragana ebook: "Hiragana, the
Basics of Japanese."
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Please download the sound files (link found on the last page). We hope this ebook by itself will be helpful, but the sound files--in our opinion--give it most of its value. At the bottom of each idiom page, you will find the name of the sound file associated with it. The numbering of MP3s follow the order of idioms in this ebook.
Let's get started!
kata wo naraberu
be on par with; be neck to neck with; measure up to;
equal to
This literally means, "to line up shoulders." Use this when comparing things that measure up in terms of ability or strength. It could be the popularity of a pop musician, the economic power of countries, strength of athletes, etc. [103.mp3]
katagawari
wo suru
to take over (someone's responsibility); to shoulder
(someone's debt)
It literally means "to switch shoulders." This is often used when taking over someone else's financial commitment (e.g. a debt) usually because of the financial incapability of the other person. [104.mp3]
se ni hara wa kaerarenai
cannot do without it (whatever it is) even with a
sacrifice
The literal meaning of this phrase is "a back of the body cannot replace the front of the body (because it houses all the important organs)." In other words, when prioritizing certain things, something less important needs to be sacrificed for more important things even if the sacrifice comes with a high price. It is usually used in a rather serious and urgent situation where there is no other choice. [105.mp3]
shinzou ni ke ga haeteiru
be brazen; cocky; have a nerve
This is used to describe a person who dares to say or do something that people usually wouldn't say or do because doing so might touch somebody's nerve. [106.mp3]
oya no sune wo kajiru
sponge on one's parents
It literally means for adult children "to bite their parent's shin." "sune" is "shin" which is actually used to mean "labor" as well. In other words "eating one's parent's shin" means to live off of one's parent's labor. [107.mp3]
te ga aku
be available; be free; have a minute; be done (with
one's work)
It literally means "one's hand becomes empty." It is usually used when someone has a spare moment after or during a period of busyness. [108.mp3]
te ga tarinai
be short handed; not have enough help
Literally "to not have enough hands." It can be used the same way as "to need more help" or "one could use more help." [109.mp3]
te no uchi wo yomu
figure out or read somebody's plan or intention about
something
"te no uchi" literally means "inside of a hand" and it is very similar to "your hand" when playing a card game. You want to keep your hand secret from the other players. So, "figure out a hand" or "figure out a game plan" would be a good translation for this phrase. [110.mp3]
te wo tsukusu
use up all one's hands; try everything; do one's best
It literally means "to exhaust one's hand." It is often used when a medical doctor tries everything to save a patient's life. [111.mp3]
te wo utsu
(1) take a measure (to settle a situation) (2) come up
with an agreement (in bargaining)
It literally means "to hit a hand." (1) "hand" in this case means "measure" or "solution." The phrase means "to make a decision." It is often used when an executive decision is needed to solve a particular problem. (2) The second meaning is "to shake hands" with the other person whom one is negotiating with over a price or a condition. [112.mp3]
tonbi
ga taka wo umu
ordinary parents have an extraordinary child
It literally means, "A kite gives birth to a hawk." It is a metaphor for ordinary parents having an extraordinary child and it is similar to "A black hen lays a white egg." [113.mp3]
torihada ga tatsu
get goosebumps
"torihada" literally means "bird skin." This phrase is used in same way as "to get goosebumps." [114.mp3]
ki ga kiku
be sensible; be considerate; be thoughtful
"ki" is "attention" or "mind." "kiku" means "to be effective" or "to work well." This phrase is often used to compliment someone who always pays attention to his (or her) surroundings and does a little extra something for the people around without being asked. Use this with people you appreciate because of their considerate actions and care for others. [115.mp3]
uousaou suru
wander back and forth helplessly
It literally means, "to wander from right to left." It describes a person's helpless state after something bad happened. The person goes back and forth without knowing what to do. "orooro suru" is another expression which means the same thing. [116.mp3]
ki wo magirawasu
take one's mind off of something
"ki" here means "mind" and "magirawasu" means "to divert" or "to distract." This means to distract one's mind from something bad. [117.mp3]
ki wo kubaru
be thoughtful; pay attention to detail; attentive
It literally means "to distribute one's mind (or attention)." It is very similar to "ki ga kiku" and sometimes is used in the same sense. Both phrases are the same in terms of being considerate when paying attention to one's surroundings. This phrase, however, does not necessarily mean to be noticed or appreciated by other people. Ki wo kubaru means to pay attention to different things, whether it is people, their environment, or the detail of work that one is engaged in. [118.mp3]
ki wo nuku
lose focus; let one's mind wander; relax (one's
attention)
It literally means "to pull the attention out." It is used when one loses track of what one is doing. The expression which says the opposite would be "ki wo ireru" which literally means "put attention in." [119.mp3]
jibara wo kiru
pay out of one's pocket
It literally means "to cut one's stomach." As painful as it sounds, this expression means to pay money out of one's pocket for something or someone when he (or she) doesn't have an obligation to do so. It is used, for example, when an employee pays out of her own pocket for a job related expense. [120.mp3]
kao ga kiku
be influential; have many connections
It literally means "one's face works." This phrase is similar to "kao ga hiroi (to be popular; well known)," but "kao ga hiroi" means one is acquainted with a lot of people. "kao ga kiku" also means that one can pull favors from others because of the various connections he (or she) has. [121.mp3]
kuchi wo dasu
interfere
It literally means "to bring out one's mouth." This expression is used when somebody interrupts a conversation with his opinion and without being asked. It is almost always used in a negative way. There is also "kuchi wo hasamu" which means the same thing. [122.mp3]
me ga mawaru
(1) be dizzy (2) be extremely busy
It literally means "eyes go around." "me ga kurakura suru" is another phrase which means "to be dizzy." When you are extremely busy you can say "me ga mawaru hodo isogasii." [123.mp3]
o me ni kakaru
meet or see (someone of higher status)
It literally means "to be seen" or "to be noticed." This is an extremely polite way of saying "to meet" someone important and isn't used among friends. [124.mp3]
karada wo haru
lay one's life on the line
It literally means "to stretch one's body." This expression is often used to describe a person who has a physically demanding job for living as in "karada wo hatte ikiru." This phrase may have come from using a body as a shield to get through a battle. [125.mp3]
mi ni oboe ga aru
know about or remember having done something.
It literally means "one's body remembers (or knows)." This phrase means to remember an experience instead of simply a piece of information or some knowledge one might have. It is always a negative experience (a mistake, a failure, or a wrong action). Police often use this phrase when asking a suspect about a crime. [126.mp3]
mi ni shimiru
(1) sink deeply into one's heart; come home to (2)
pierce one's body (physically)
This literally means "to seep into one's body." (1) It means that one has a strong feeling about something which can be positive or negative. (2) It is also used in a literal way for a physical sensation of something soaking into one's body, such very cold temperatures. [127.mp3]
mimi wo utagau
cannot believe one's ears
It literally means, "to doubt one's ears." In other words, one can hardly believe what he (or she) heard. [128.mp3]
muga muchuu
lose oneself in; be totally absorbed (immersed,
engrossed, wrapped up) in
It literally means "selfless in a dream." It describes a state of mind where one is totally focused on whatever he (or she) is doing without having a sense of self. [129.mp3]
onaji ana no mujina
birds of the same feather (used negatively)
It literally means "badger of the same hole." "mujina" means "badger" and they often live in a hole where raccoons also live underground. Raccoons were believed to play mean tricks on people according to Japanese folklore. Even though badgers didn't play tricks on people like raccoons, people considered badgers as the same wicked kind of animal just because they lived together. Now this phrase is applied to people and used to stereotype others negatively. [130.mp3]
mune ga ippai ni naru
one's heart is filled with something (e.g. joy)
It literally means "one's heart becomes full." This phrase is describing an emotional state of a person who is overwhelmed with a strong positive feeling such as joy or appreciation to the point of almost being speechless. [131.mp3]
mune ga itamu
one's heart aches (or hurts)
This phrase describes a person who is feeling deep empathy for someone who is in a very difficult situation. [132.mp3]
mune ga sawagu
to be anxious; worried about what might be
It literally means "one's chest clamor." It is used when someone is worried or anticipates that something bad might happen or might have happened. It is also used when one is having a strange feeling of anxiety for no apparent reason. "munasawagi ga suru" is another way of saying the same thing. [133.mp3]
mune wo haru
(1) be proud of oneself; (2) stretch out one's chest
(for a better posture)
It literally means to "to stretch out one's chest." (1) When you are proud about something you have done you might find yourself stretching out your chest instead of hunching your shoulders down. That is the idea for this expression. (2) It means literally to stretch one's chest to correct one's posture. [134.mp3]
mune wo kariru
challenge somebody stronger or better than oneself